should metronomes be used without accents?

[rancid_theclash]

When using a metronome I heard its best to not use any accents to give you a better sense of time or something like that.... Is there any truth to that or should I accent???

[Basshoofd]

There's no "should's" but I would use one without accents. Just get that pulse going, the measure can easily be decided by you.

[rancid_theclash]

haha I guess should is the wrong word, I've been playing without an accent for months but I find when I'm reading music it just seems like another thing to worry about having to keep track of the 1.. know what I'm sayin??

[Groove Master]

Originally Posted by rancid_theclash

When using a metronome I heard its best to not use any accents to give you a better sense of time or something like that.... Is there any truth to that or should I accent???

IMO the use of the accents serve 2 purposes:

1) It can help groove a little more when placed on 2&4 or somewhere else to imitate the backbeats of drumbeat.

2) It can help to dictate the first beat of a bar or a section. As an example you want to jam in 7/4 or any other time signature and you want to make sure with a accented downbeat that you didn't skip or add beat(s).

For me the accents keep you connected while you play with a time signature which is very important imo,

[Groove Master]

Originally Posted by rancid_theclash

haha I guess should is the wrong word, I've been playing without an accent for months but I find when I'm reading music it just seems like another thing to worry about having to keep track of the 1.. know what I'm sayin??

That is exactly what i was saying before. If you read music, you can do a better workout by respecting the flow of the music with a accented downbeat. So that way you'll know if you skipped or added a beat while playing which will teach you more if you did something wrong. It is a bit more difficult but it makes more sense. A band won't skip a beat for you because you did

[EscapeNote]

No rules. Do it both ways.

[rancid_theclash]

Originally Posted by Groove Master

That is exactly what i was saying before. If you read music, you can do a better workout by respecting the flow of the music with a accented downbeat. So that way you'll know if you skipped or added a beat while playing which will teach you more if you did something wrong. It is a bit more difficult but it makes more sense. A band won't skip a beat for you because you did

lol so you think it would be a good Idea to have an accent only on the 1 when reading??? although not the easiest way but most benificial??? what would you consider the easiest way anyway?? lol

[EscapeNote]

As someone else pointed out, if you're working in odd time sigs it can be especially helpful to have a downbeat accent.

Also try setting the metronome for backbeats only. So if you're playing in 4/4, have it clicking away on 2 and 4. It's a simple yet very effective technique for groove improvement.

[Herbie 80's]

I did it with an accent at first, so that it would be easier to tell time. However, I started to use the accent as a crutch, so I stopped using it, and now I never use it.

Use it at first, and then when you want to challenge yourself, take it away. It'll greatly improve your time.

[Ed Fuqua]

I'm always in the "give yourself as little to lean on" corner. Having the accent on the downbeat means that YOU don't have to keep track of it, and keeping track of it, that's kind of the point.
Are you practicing reading or are you trying to learn a piece of music?

[longfinger]

I use the met in 0 time, no accents. It's tougher at first but gives better results. If a something is proving difficult, I might put the accent back in to help out.

Here something to do..

Pulse the metronome with no accent at a say 60bpm
then go through different meters, tempos and pulse positions, mentally placing the click in different ways.

ie. 4/4 : click on 1; on 1+3, on 3; on 2; on 4; on 2 and 4; on &2 and &4
in 3/4 on 1; on 2; on 3, on &of2
in 12/8 on the 'let' of tri-pl-let

The click doesn't change, but your mind puts in in different tempos, meters, and positions.

==

Using an accent can help in practicing reading. As long at the meter doesn't change in the score, an accent can help alert us to our time playing errors, when we notice the accent is somewhere it was not when we started, even though the pulse is clicking along fine.

[agreatheight]

When practicing, I mix it up - no accents, accent on the 1, accent on the 1 & 3, accent on the 2 & 4, etc. I am also a big fan of practicing to sequenced drums.

When I am recording, I nearly always accent on the one to keep myself following structure, and listen to the accents of the drums themselves.

[Groove Master]

Originally Posted by rancid_theclash

lol so you think it would be a good Idea to have an accent only on the 1 when reading??? although not the easiest way but most benificial??? what would you consider the easiest way anyway?? lol

I don't mean 1 click per bar but really an accent that indicates the beginning of each measure to teach where you're at in the music. Of course it might be tougher when you sight-read but you'll know if you are off or not.

[maxgrant]

I often find my metronome difficult to understand when it speaks with a thick accent.

[Mark Perry]

With and Without:

...accents
...metromone
...metronome on 2+4 etc. as already mentioned

And record yourself, and listen carefully. Correct mistakes, so on so forth... (imo)

[anonymous122511]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

I'm always in the "give yourself as little to lean on" corner. Having the accent on the downbeat means that YOU don't have to keep track of it, and keeping track of it, that's kind of the point.

Very much agreed that keeping the distinction between a guide and a crutch very clear and in the moment is important to learning anything about time with a metronome.

But since 1 and 3 are the bassist's "money" notes in western popular music that's always seemed a logical place to start with click. Letting the click show you where the time is a valid concept. Using it every way imaginable though and with honest self evaluation pursuing the more difficult paths makes the most sense. Without know someone's particular weaknesses it's kinda hard to make a universally definitive recommendation about the "best way to practice with a metronome.

[mambo4]

My metronome won't do accents. I can see how it could be a crutch. Metronomes are for disciplined learning of accurate tempo. Drum machines (and maybe mets w/ accents) are for less restrictive playing along/around with.

[Groove Master]

Having the accents on the metronome on the one when reading for example is just like having the green light on the tuner saying that you are in-tune. I don't see any problem with that

[Ed Fuqua]

Originally Posted by jeff arddun

Very much agreed that keeping the distinction between a guide and a crutch very clear and in the moment is important to learning anything about time with a metronome.

But since 1 and 3 are the bassist's "money" notes in western popular music that's always seemed a logical place to start with click. Letting the click show you where the time is a valid concept. Using it every way imaginable though and with honest self evaluation pursuing the more difficult paths makes the most sense. Without know someone's particular weaknesses it's kinda hard to make a universally definitive recommendation about the "best way to practice with a metronome.

JEFF - I'm talking about the accent, not the click. Having the metronome make a specific sound on a particular beat that is different from its usual sound.

[anonymous122511]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

JEFF - I'm talking about the accent, not the click. Having the metronome make a specific sound on a particular beat that is different from its usual sound.

Oh.....metronomes do that now?
<thinking>
Why the hell would you want to accent any beat? Doesn't setting the click to half or whole notes keep track of where 1 is? (not to mention giving you some essential breathing room)?